Mani wants ICC to question Thakur for his statements

ISLAMABAD, Oct 5 (APP): Former International Cricket Council (ICC) President Ehsan Mani wants Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Chief Anurag Thakur’s statements against Pakistan to be questioned as the ICC constitution forbade officials to make statements that bring the game into disrepute.
Mani said that Pakistani Cricket Board (PCB) officials should come strong at the ICC Executive Board Meeting in Cape Town next week. Mani urged PCB to demand ICC to ask Thakur to explain his position in making statements against Pakistan.
Mani criticized Thakur for his “inflammatory” comments on Pakistan and asked PCB to push for India to be stripped off hosting ICC events.
“Thakur, with his immature and inflammatory statements, has given an opening to Pakistan to plead its case more effectively at the ICC meeting,” firstpost.com quoted Mani as saying.
Mani said Thakur is a politician and a member of parliament of the ruling party and the ICC must ask him to explain in what capacity he gives statements on Pakistan or any other cricket issue,” he said.
“They must ask him to explain his position since the ICC constitution clearly forbade any of its own officials or those of member countries to make statements that bring the game into disrepute and that what is Thakur has done in his statements,” he said.
Mani said for the last two years he had been advising the Pakistan board to stop playing India in the group stage of ICC events.
“Now India is talking about not playing us in group stages of ICC events. The truth is that the ICC earns a lot from these Indo-Pak matches in its tournaments and India takes home the lions share under the big three governance formula. Yet they don’t want to have bilateral cricket ties with us.”
Mani said that Pakistani cricket officials for years had been following a lenient policy with India because they wanted resumption of bilateral cricket series. “It is the best time for Pakistan to make its point at the ICC meeting,” he said.